Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker collection of miscellaneous ... · Joshua Francis Fisher (1807-1873),...

© 2010 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Collection 3125

Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker collection of miscellaneous family papers

Creator: Drinker, Henry

Drinker, Marilyn 1682-1971 (bulk 1750-1956)

17 boxes, 4.1 linear feet

Contact: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Phone: (215) 732-6200 FAX: (215) 732-2680 http://www.hsp.org

Processed by: Faith Charlton Processing Completed: December 2009

Restrictions: None Related Collections at

HSP: See page 6

1 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker collection of miscellaneous family papers Creators: Drinker, Henry Drinker, Marilyn 1682-1971 (bulk 1750-1956) 17 boxes, 4.1 linear feet

Collection 3125 Abstract

This collection contains an assortment of miscellaneous materials predominantly relating to the Fisher family of Philadelphia and several related local families, including the Willings, Francises, Drinkers, and Whartons. To a lesser extent, the Middleton, Logan, and Harrison families are also represented. The families documented in this collection are some of the oldest and most prominent families in the Delaware Valley. Items in the collection date from 1682 to 1971 with the majority of the materials dating from the period 1750 to 1956. The bulk of the collection consists of family correspondence; also included are genealogical papers, estate and business records, as well as family photographs.

Background note The first Fisher family member to settle in the Philadelphia region was John Fisher, who, by 1681, was included among the city's earliest property owners. John’s grandson Joshua Fisher (1707-1783), merchant and founder of Joshua Fisher and Sons, and son of Thomas Fisher and Margery Maud, married Sarah Rowland (1716-1772). Joshua and Sarah’s son Thomas Fisher (1741-1810) founded the Westtown School located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, managed Pennsylvania Hospital, and was an original member of the American Philosophical Society. Thomas married Sarah Logan, and they had seven children: Sarah (b. 1774), Joshua (1775-1806), Hannah Logan (1777-1846), William Logan (1779-1780), William Logan (1781-1862), James Logan (1783-1814) and Esther (1788-1849). Joshua Francis Fisher (1807-1873), son of Joshua Fisher (1775-1806) and Elizabeth Powel Francis (b. 1777), was a prominent nineteenth-century Philadelphian. A lawyer and philanthropist, Joshua Francis Fisher was an active member of both the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind, later becoming vice president of the former. Joshua was also a noted lecturer and essayist on topics relating to political figures and the electoral processes.

Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker collection of miscellaneous family papers Collection 3125


Joshua Francis Fisher married Elizabeth Izard Middleton (1815-1890), daughter of Henry Middleton, South Carolina congressman and governor and United States minister to Russia, in 1839. They had seven children: Elizabeth Francis (1840-1919), Sophia Georgiana (1841-1926), Mary Helen (1844-1937), George Harrison (1846-1847), Maria Middleton (1847-1933), George Harrison (1849-1925), and Henry Middleton (1851-1939). The Willing and Francis families were significantly involved in Philadelphia’s mercantile affairs; together, in the eighteenth century, they established the merchant firm Willings and Francis. Anne Willing (1733-1812), was the daughter of Charles Willing (1710-1754) and Anne Shippen (1712-1790). Anne Willing married Tench Francis Jr. (1730-1800), who served as the Penn family’s land agent until the Revolutionary War, when he became principal of the First Bank of North America. Their children included Thomas Willing, Sophia Francis (d. 1851), and Elizabeth Powel Francis (b. 1777). The Drinker and Wharton families relate to the Fishers through the marriage of Henry Middleton Fisher (1851-1939) to Mary Elwyn Wharton (1864-1941) in 1894 and the marriage of their daughter, Mary Frances Fisher (1896-1974), to James Blathwaite Drinker (1882-1971). James Blathwaite Drinker was the son of Henry Sturgis Drinker (1850-1937) and Aimee Ernesta Beaux (b. 1852), the sister of renowned American society portraitist, Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942). James and Mary Frances Drinker’s children included Henry M. (b. 1920), Sandwith (1922-1945), James (b. circa 1927), and Polly (1928-2008). Frances Brinley Wharton (1861-1959), daughter of Henry Wharton (1827-1880) and Katherine Johnstone Brinley (1837-1925), and sister of Mary Elwyn Wharton, was possibly the author who wrote under the pseudonym “Phoebe Lyde.” Ms. Lyde had numerous short stories and poems published during the early years of the 20th century in Lippincott’s Magazine.

Scope & content

The miscellaneous materials in the Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker Collection, dating from the late seventeenth century to the mid twentieth century, document the personal as well as some financial affairs of several prominent Philadelphia families, most notably the Fisher family. Genealogical reports containing several family members highlighted in this collection are available in Appendix 1 starting on page 14. The collection includes mostly correspondence alongside photographs and items that provide genealogical, estate, and business information. While some letters discuss public affairs explicitly, many family letters also indirectly reflect of the political, economic, and social events of the time while providing insight into family structure, religious beliefs, and eighteenth- through twentieth-century Philadelphia culture. Letters provide commentary and first-hand accounts relating to major events in U.S. history, including the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War II, and the Korean War.



The papers in this collection were originally arranged—for the most part—according to family surname Fisher, Francis, Willing, Drinker, and Wharton. This arrangement has been maintained. The following are brief box-level descriptions of some of the materials in the collection. Further folder-level descriptions are available in Appendix 2 starting on page 16.

Boxes 1 to 3 contain papers from the Fisher family that date from the late seventeenth to the late nineteenth century. These are predominantly correspondence; other materials include family estate, business, and financial papers as well as items that provide information on Fisher family genealogy.

Joshua Francis Fisher is primarily represented in the materials, which include correspondence between Joshua and family members, friends, and business associates. The letters to his wife, Elizabeth Izard Middleton, written on the eve of the Civil War are particularly poignant. A significant amount of correspondence between Joshua and his cousin, Rhode Island senator and governor John Brown Francis (1791-1864), is also included. A majority of these letters, written during the Civil War, reveal information about Joshua’s views on political, economic, and social issues, including his views on slavery. Fisher’s other papers include compositions, essays, addresses, papers, and presentations, some of which appear to be school related. The compositions mostly focus on Pennsylvania and American history, the Episcopal Church, politics, and education. Also included are two handwritten chapters (circa 1864) of Fisher’s memoirs. These memoirs were later edited by Fisher’s granddaughter Sophia Cadwalader and published in 1929 as The Recollections of Joshua Francis Fisher. There are also items relating to Joshua Francis Fisher’s estate and business matters. Concerning Fisher’s estate are papers relating to the dispute between Fisher and his uncle, William Logan Fisher, over the former’s inheritance, including a nine-page statement by Fisher (1829). The dispute resulted from Fisher feeling wronged by his uncle regarding an inheritance that he was to receive once he became an adult. Several other family members are also represented in Fisher’s papers, including the originator of the Fisher family in the Philadelphia region, John Fisher, and his son Thomas Fisher; Samuel Rowland Fisher (1745-1834), son of Joshua Fisher and Sarah Rowland; Elizabeth Powel Francis Fisher (b. 1777); Elizabeth Izard Middleton Fisher (1815-1890); and lastly, Henry Middleton Fisher (1851-1939). The earliest items among these papers are miscellaneous legal documents relating to John Fisher and his son Thomas Fisher, including jury summons against both men, as well as legal documents relating to Pennsylvania and Sussex County, Delaware, where the Fisher family initially resided. One notable item includes Samuel Rowland Fisher’s handwritten account (circa 1780) of his arrest in 1779 on the charge of being a Tory. Like many other Quakers, the Fishers took a neutral position during the Revolution. The refusal of many Quakers to support the war resulted in hostile treatment.



Items relating to Elizabeth Powel Francis, Elizabeth Izard Middleton, and Henry Middleton Fisher are mostly family correspondence. Letters from Elizabeth Middleton to her husband, Joshua, written from South Carolina while on trips visiting her family, reveal much about the Middleton family and life in general amongst the upper classes in the antebellum South. Henry’s letters sent home to family members provide much information on the social and educational life of a young man away at school in New England. In Box 4 are materials relating to the Willing and Francis families that date from the mid eighteenth to late nineteenth century, and include correspondence, genealogical information, and estate papers. Most of the family letters are between Anne Willing and several family members, including her uncle Thomas Willing in England, and her brother Thomas Willing (1731-1821), who served as president of the Bank of North America, justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and mayor of Philadelphia. Many of these letters are transcribed in Joshua Francis Fisher’s memoirs The Recollections of Joshua Francis Fisher (1929). Other than the discussion of personal matters, there is also news regarding the French and Indian War. There are also letters between Anne and her children as well as her husband, Tench Francis Jr. Other papers relating to Anne Willing Francis include recipes and household advice. Also included in this series is correspondence relating to Tench Francis Sr., Pennsylvania attorney general from 1741 to 1754, and his wife as well as correspondence and other items relating to the children of Tench and Anne Willing Francis, in particular Sophia Francis Harrison and Charles Francis. There is also a copy of a report on the Meschianza, the elaborate celebration given in honor of British General Sir William Howe in Philadelphia on May 18, 1778 before his return to England, as well as a collection of letters from Levett Harris to John Forsyth, who served as secretary of state from 1834 to 1841, regarding relations with France. Box 5 contains papers, including some genealogical information, from the Drinker and Wharton families dating from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century. Most of the materials relate to James Blathwaite Drinker (1882-1971), his wife Mary Frances Fisher (1896-1974), and their children. A significant amount of correspondence relates to James and Mary’s son, Sandwith Drinker (1922-1945), who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in March 1945. Most of the letters from Sandwith Drinker to his mother were written while Sandwith was away at school. The box also contains literary manuscripts related to the Wharton family. These include numerous drafts, typescripts, and printed copies from Lippincott’s Magazine of works by Phoebe Lyde, most likely the pseudonym used by Frances Brinley Wharton. Also included is an 80-page typescript of “Francois Villon: A romantic drama in four acts with songs” (1894) co-written by Thomas Wharton and Owen Wister. The manuscript contains some handwritten edits. There are also some miscellaneous materials relating to Cecilia Beaux, most of which are newspaper clippings, dating from 1906 to 1908, concerning exhibitions with which the artist was involved.



Box 6 contains correspondence and photographs relating to Francis Brinley Wharton (1861-1959). The bulk of these letters dates from the early to mid- twentieth century and includes numerous letters from friends and family members who served during the Second World War and the Korean War. Box 7 contains two rolled multi-paged, deeds of partition for the Henry Drinker estate drafted in 1843. The remaining boxes in the collection, Boxes 8 through 17, contain nineteenth-century daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and silhouettes of various members of the Francis, Harrison, and Fisher families. The five daguerreotypes included are possibly those of Joshua Francis Fisher and his family. Ten of these items are not labeled. Also included is an encased medal belonging to Henry Middleton Fisher.



Separation report To HSP library: Moore, Frank, ed. The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, 1860-62. Part XIV.

New York: G.P. Putnam, 1862. (Call number to be determined.) Middleton family papers on microfilm (negative). (Call number to be determined.)

To Middleton Place: Middleton family papers to Middleton Place, Charleston, S.C. HSP also sent a positive microfilmed copy of the papers. HSP retained the negative copy.

Related materials

At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Drinker family papers (Collection 1934A) Drinker family papers (Collection 1934B) Henry Drinker papers (Collection 1767) Henry Drinker [family] papers (Collection 0176) Fisher family papers (Collection 2094) Joshua Francis Fisher papers (Collection 1858) Samuel Rowland Fisher Papers (Collection 2019) Sarah Logan Fisher Diaries (Collection 1923) Harrison family papers (Collection 2048) Logan-Fisher-Fox Family Papers (Collection 1960) Powel Family Papers (Collection 1582) Wharton family papers (Collection 708A) Wharton-Willing Papers (Collection 2014) Willings and Francis records (Collection 1874) Willing Family Papers (Collection 1531) At other institutions: Fisher Family Papers, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pa. Middleton Family papers, Middleton Place, Charleston, S.C.

Bibliography Du Bin, Alexander. Willing family and collateral lines of Carroll, Chew, Dundas, Gyles,

Jackson, McCall, Moore, Parsons, Shippen. Philadelphia: The Historical Publication Society, [1941].

Fisher, Joshua Francis. Recollections of Joshua Francis Fisher. Arranged by Sophia

Cadwalader. Boston: D.B. Updike, c. 1929. Francis, Jay Gottwals. Some Francis history, colonial and revolutionary : with respect to the present.

Lebanon, Pa.: J.G. Francis, c. 1930.

Smith, Anna Wharton. Genealogy of the Fisher family, 1682 to 1896. Philadelphia, 1896.



Tappert, Tara Leigh. “Aimée Ernesta and Eliza Cecilia: Two Sisters, Two Choices.”

Resource Library Magazine. July 25, 2002. http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/3aa/3aa335.htm.

Subjects Family life – Pennsylvania – 18th century Family life – Pennsylvania – 19th century Family life – Pennsylvania – 20th century Korean War, 1950-1953 Spouses – Correspondence – 18th century Spouses – Correspondence – 19th century Spouses – Correspondence – 20th century Philadelphia (Pa.) – Social life and customs – 18th century Philadelphia (Pa.) – Social life and customs – 19th century Philadelphia (Pa.) – Social life and customs – 20th century Quakers – Pennsylvania – 18th century United States – History – Civil War, 1861-1865 United States – History – French and Indian War, 1755-1763 United States – History – Revolution, 1775-1783 World War, 1939-1945 Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942 Drinker, Henry Middleton, 1920- Drinker, Henry Sturgis, 1850-1937 Drinker, James Drinker, James Blathwaite Drinker, Mary Frances, 1896-1974 Drinker, Sandwith, 1922-1945 Drinker, Polly, 1928-2008 Erwin, J. Warner Fisher, Elizabeth Powel Francis, 1777- Fisher, Eliza Middleton, 1815-1890 Fisher, Henry Middleton, 1851-1939 Fisher, John Fisher, Joshua, 1775-1806 Fisher, Joshua Francis, 1807-1873 Fisher, Samuel Rowland, 1745-1834 Fisher, Sarah Logan, 1751-1796 Fisher, Thomas Fisher, Thomas, 1741-1810 Forsyth, John, 1780-1841 Francis, Anne Willing, 1733-1812 Francis, Charles, 1771-1845 Francis, John Brown, 1791-1864 Francis, Tench, 1730-1800 Franks, Rebecca



Harris, Levett Harrison, George, 1762-1845 Harrison, Sophia Francis, d. 1851 Logan, Deborah, 1761-1839 Lyde, Phoebe Middleton, Arthur, 1742-1787 Nell, Emily W. Russell, C. B. Sherfesee, Forsyth Smith, G. Roberts Powel, Elizabeth Wharton, Frances Brinley Wharton, Thomas Willing, Thomas Willing, Thomas, 1731-1821 Wister, Owen, 1860-1938



Administrative Information

Restrictions The collection is open for research.

Acquisition information Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker, 1994. Accession number 1994.1106.

Preferred citation

Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker Collection (Collection 3125), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Processing note Processed by Faith Charlton, December 2009.



Box and folder listing

Folder title Date Box Folder(s) John and Thomas Fisher - legal documents

1682-1734 1 1

Fisher family - estate papers 1762-1872 1 2 Samuel Rowland Fisher - memoir

circa 1780 1 3

Fisher family - genealogy circa 1733-1862 1 4 Fisher family - miscellaneous letters, inventories, notes

1779-1869 1 5

Harrison family - genealogy 1846 1 6 Harrison family - correspondence

1792-1867 1 7

Logan family - genealogy undated 1 8-9 Deborah Logan to Joshua Francis Fisher - transcriptions, Logan family genealogy

circa 1830 1 10

Middleton family - miscellaneous printed materials, clippings

1865 1 11

Joshua Francis Fisher - outgoing correspondence

1837-1867 2 1

Joshua Francis Fisher - incoming correspondence

1826-1870 2 2

Joshua Francis Fisher to John Brown Francis

1848-1889 (bulk 1857-1864)

2 3-4

John Brown Francis to Joshua Francis Fisher

1847-1854 2 5

Joshua Francis Fisher to Henry Middleton Fisher

1866-1872 2 6

G. Roberts Smith to Joshua Francis Fisher

1856-1858 2 7

J. Warner Erwin to Joshua Francis Fisher

1856-1858 2 8

Joshua Francis Fisher and family - household and financial papers

1833-1870 2 9

Joshua Francis Fisher - compositions, essays, addresses

circa 1825-1870 3 1-2

Recollections of Joshua Francis Fisher - two handwritten chapters

circa 1864 3 3

Joshua Francis Fisher - Miscellaneous letters, notebooks

circa 1825-circa 1865

3 4

Elizabeth Powel Francis Fisher - outgoing/ incoming correspondence

1839-1854 3 5



Elizabeth Middleton Fisher - outgoing/ incoming correspondence

1851-1859 3 6

Elizabeth Middleton Fisher to Joshua Francis Fisher

1838-1841 3 7

Elizabeth Middleton Fisher to Henry Middleton Fisher

1866-1875 3 8

Henry Middleton Fisher to home circa 1861-1881 (bulk circa 1861-1872)

3 9

Henry Middleton Fisher - incoming correspondence

circa 1861-1898 3 10-11

Henry Middleton Fisher - miscellaneous letters, certificates

circa 1865-1894 3 12

Fisher family - miscellaneous letters

undated 3 13

Willing and Francis families - genealogical information

1780-1865 4 1

Anne Willing Francis - incoming/ outgoing correspondence

1751-1806 4 2

Thomas Willing to Anne Willing Francis

1754-1762 4 3

Anne Willing Francis to Thomas Willing

1750-1754 4 4

Anne Willing Francis to Tench Francis, Jr.

1767-1768 4 5

Anne Willing Francis to Sophia Francis Harrison

circa 1790 4 6

Tench Francis, Jr. - outgoing correspondence

1767-1780 4 7

Tench Francis, Jr. - incoming correspondence

1755-1769 4 8

Mr. and Mrs. Tench Francis, Sr. 1762-1769 4 9 Charles Francis - correspondence and estate papers

1795-1845 4 10

Tench Francis, Jr. and family - estate papers

circa 1806-1837 4 11

Anne Willing Francis and Elizabeth Powel - recipes and household advice

1776-1813 4 12

Willing and Francis families - miscellaneous letters, fragments, and ephemera

1764-1866 4 13

Levett Harris to John Forsyth 1835-1836 4 14 Miscellaneous 1758-circa 1920 4 15



Phoebe Lyde - manuscripts, typescripts, printed copies of literary works

1902-1904 5 1

“Francois Villon” by Thomas Wharton and Owen Wister

1894 5 2

Mary Frances Fisher to James Blathwaite Fisher

May-June 1922 5 3

Sandwith Drinker to Mary Frances Drinker

1936-1942 5 4

Sandwith Drinker to family 1937-1942 5 5 Sandwith Drinker - miscellaneous documents and notes

circa 1930-1945 5 6

Polly Drinker to family July-August 1956 5 7 James Blathwaite and Mary Frances Drinker - incoming correspondence

1918-1966 5 8

James Blathwaite and Mary Frances Drinker - Miscellaneous letters, clippings, papers

1917-1971 5 9

Henry Sturgis Drinker family photograph

December 12, 1929 5 10

Cecilia Beaux - clippings and photograph

1906-1908 5 11

Wharton and Drinker genealogy - clippings

circa 1952 5 12

Miscellaneous printed materials and ephemera

circa 1809-1925 5 13

Frances B. Wharton - incoming correspondence

undated 6 1

Frances B. Wharton - incoming correspondence

1941-1956 6 2-4

Mary Frances Drinker to Frances B. Wharton

1944-1951 6 5

Sandwith Drinker to Frances B. Wharton

1941-1944 6 6

Frances B. Wharton to Sandwith Drinker

March 1945 6 7

James Drinker to Frances B. Wharton

1945-1951 6 8

Henry M. Drinker to Frances B. Wharton

January-July 1947 6 9

Emily W. Nell to Frances B. Wharton

1945-1956 6 10

Forsythe Sherfesee to Frances B. Wharton

1944-1954 6 11



C. B. Russell to Frances B. Wharton

1941-1944 6 12

Frances B. Wharton - miscellaneous photographs

1881-1951 6 13

Frances B. Wharton - miscellaneous letters, notes, and ephemera

circa 1904-1956 6 14

Henry Drinker estate - deeds of partition

1843 7 n/a

Henry Middleton Fisher- encased medal

1869 8 n/a

Unidentified encased daguerreotypes (2)

undated 9 n/a

Unidentified encased daguerreotype

undated 10 n/a

Framed portrait and profile/silhouette - unidentified

undated 11 n/a

Rev. John Francis- framed portrait (copy) and John Francis- profile/ silhouette

undated 12 n/a

Unidentified framed portraits (2) undated 13 n/a Charles Francis- framed portrait and profile/silhouette

undated; 1800 (silhouette)

14 n/a

George Harrison- profile/silhouette and Mrs. H.H. Fisher (?)- framed miniature

undated; 1858 (miniature)

15 n/a

John Francis- profile/silhouette and Tench Francis, Jr.- profile/silhouette

undated 16 n/a

Unidentified encased daguerreotypes (2)

undated 17 n/a



Appendix 1: Genealogical reports

Descendants of Joshua Fisher

Generation No. 1

1. JOSHUA3 FISHER (THOMAS2, JOHN1) was born 1707, and died 1783. He married SARAH ROWLAND 1733. She was born 1716, and died 1772. Children of JOSHUA FISHER and SARAH ROWLAND are: 2. i. THOMAS4 FISHER, b. 1741; d. 1810. ii. SAMUEL ROWLAND FISHER, b. 1745; d. 1834.

Generation No. 2

2. THOMAS4 FISHER (JOSHUA3, THOMAS2, JOHN1) was born 1741, and died 1810. He married SARAH LOGAN 1772. She was born 1751, and died 1796. Children of THOMAS FISHER and SARAH LOGAN are: 3. i. JOSHUA5 FISHER, b. 1775; d. 1806. ii. WILLIAM LOGAN FISHER, b. 1781; d. 1862.

Generation No. 3

3. JOSHUA5 FISHER (THOMAS4, JOSHUA3, THOMAS2, JOHN1) was born 1775, and died 1806. He married ELIZABETH POWEL FRANCIS, daughter of TENCH FRANCIS and ANNE WILLING. She was born 1777. Child of JOSHUA FISHER and ELIZABETH FRANCIS is: 4. i. JOSHUA FRANCIS6 FISHER, b. 1807; d. 1873.

Generation No. 4

4. JOSHUA FRANCIS6 FISHER (JOSHUA5, THOMAS4, JOSHUA3, THOMAS2, JOHN1) was born 1807, and died 1873. He married ELIZABETH IZARD MIDDLETON 1839, daughter of HENRY MIDDLETON and MARY HERING. She was born 1815, and died 1890. Children of JOSHUA FISHER and ELIZABETH MIDDLETON are: i. ELIZABETH FRANCIS7 FISHER, b. 1840; d. 1919; m. ROBERT PATTERSON KANE,

1861; b. 1827; d. 1906. ii. SOPHIA GEORGIANA FISHER, b. 1841; d. 1926. iii. MARY HELEN FISHER, b. 1844; d. 1937. iv. GEORGE HARRISON FISHER, b. 1846; d. 1847. v. MARIA MIDDLETON FISHER, b. 1847; d. 1933. vi. GEORGE HARRISON FISHER, b. 1849; d. 1925. vii. HENRY MIDDLETON FISHER, b. 1851; d. 1939; m. MARY ELWYN WHARTON, 1894; b.

1864; d. 1941.



Descendants of Henry Wharton

Generation No. 1

1. HENRY1 WHARTON was born 1827, and died 1880. He married KATHERINE JOHNSTONE BRINLEY 1858. She was born 1837, and died 1925. Children of HENRY WHARTON and KATHERINE BRINLEY are: i. FRANCES BRINLEY2 WHARTON, b. 1861; d. 1959. 2. ii. MARY ELWYN WHARTON, b. 1864; d. 1941.

Generation No. 2

2. MARY ELWYN2 WHARTON (HENRY1) was born 1864, and died 1941. She married HENRY MIDDLETON FISHER 1894, son of JOSHUA FISHER and ELIZABETH MIDDLETON. He was born 1851, and died 1939. Child of MARY WHARTON and HENRY FISHER is: 3. i. MARY FRANCES3 FISHER, b. 1896; d. 1974.

Generation No. 3

3. MARY FRANCES3 FISHER (MARY ELWYN2 WHARTON, HENRY1) was born 1896, and died 1974. She married JAMES BLATHWAITE DRINKER 1917, son of HENRY DRINKER and AIMEE BEAUX. He was born 1882, and died 1971. Children of MARY FISHER and JAMES DRINKER are: i. HENRY M.4 DRINKER, b. 1920. ii. SANDWITH DRINKER, b. 1922. iii. JAMES DRINKER. iv. POLLY DRINKER, b. 1928.



Appendix 2: Box and folder descriptions

Box 1 contains Fisher family materials as well as some items, such as family correspondence and genealogical information, relating to the Logan, Harrison, and Middleton families. This box includes some of the earliest items found in the collection. These items, located in Folder 1, include miscellaneous legal documents (1682-1734) relating to John Fisher and his son Thomas Fisher, including jury summons against both men, as well as legal documents relating to Pennsylvania and Sussex County, Delaware, where the Fisher family initially resided. Many of these documents, such as the “Declaration of Christian faith and allegiance to the British crown,” (1700) include the signatures of several notable Quaker individuals, such as Samuel Carpenter and Edward Shippen. One item is a copy of a legal document (circa 1700) with William Penn’s signature relating to the political relationship between Pennsylvania proprietary government and that of the lower counties, provincial assembly, and council. After being appraised, the original document was taken out of the collection. Folder 2 contains miscellaneous Fisher family estate papers dating from 1762 to 1872. Included are items relating to the dispute between Joshua Francis Fisher and his uncle, William Logan Fisher, over the former’s inheritance, including a 9 page statement by Joshua F. Fisher (1829). Folder 3 contains a partial handwritten account (circa 1780) by Samuel Rowland Fisher of his arrest in 1779 on the charge of being a Tory. Like many other Quakers, the Fishers took a neutral position during the Revolution. The refusal of many Quakers to support the war resulted in hostile treatment. Because they refused to swear an oath of allegiance to the new American government, Samuel and his brothers and father were arrested and taken to Winchester, Virginia, where they were detained for nearly nine months. Folder 4 contains Fisher family genealogical-related items dating from circa 1733 to 1862, including six letters, dating from 1832, addressed to Joshua Gilpin in Wilmington from his cousins Thomas Fisher, J.W. Fisher, and Redwood Fisher. These items may have some genealogical information concerning the Gilpin family. Folder 5 has miscellaneous materials relating to the Fisher family dating 1779 to 1869, including a letter from 1779 addressed to “The Dealers and Sellers of Flour in the City of Philadelphia” and a detailed list of household goods, mostly chinaware, imported by Joshua Fisher and shipped from China (1806). The remaining folders in Box 1 contain miscellaneous materials concerning several families connected to the Fisher family, including the Harrison, Middleton, and Logan families. Folder 6 contains miscellaneous materials dating from 1846 that provides genealogical information on the Harrison family. Folder 7 contains Harrison family correspondence dating from 1792-1867. The majority of these letters relate to George Harrison and his wife Sophia Francis Harrison. Folders 8 and 9 contain undated items that provide genealogical information about the Logan family, including a manuscript booklet complied by Joshua Francis Fisher in 1828



entitled, “A History of the Logans of Restalrig.” Also included is a booklet entitled “Extracts from the Diary of Sarah Fisher (nee Logan).” The extracts originally date from 1776-1777. Folder 10 contains transcribed letters, circa 1830, from Deborah Logan to Joshua Francis Fisher. The letters contain historical information for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania as well as Logan family genealogical information. Folder 11 contains a couple of miscellaneous items relating to the Middleton family, including two issues of the Charlestown Daily Courier (1865) and various newspaper clippings. One of the clippings is an account of the presentation given in South Carolina’s General Assembly concerning Arthur Middleton’s portrait to be hung in South Carolina’s Senate chamber. Box 2 contains the papers of Joshua Francis Fisher. Folder 1 contains letters from Joshua Francis Fisher to various correspondents dating from 1837 to 1867. The letters to his wife, Elizabeth Izard Middleton Fisher, written on the eve of the Civil War are particularly poignant. Folder 2 contains letters of various correspondents that were sent to Joshua Francis Fisher between 1826 and 1870. Some of these correspondents include noted Philadelphia publisher Mathew Carey and lawyer and author Sidney George Fisher. Also included is a lengthy letter (1851) from Joshua’s brother-in-law, Arthur Middleton in Naples, which contains a poem entitled “Washington’s Appeal to South Carolina.” Middleton was a unionist and he requested that Fisher have his poem published anonymously. Folders 3 and 4 contain a series of letters, most of which date from 1857 to 1854, from Joshua Francis Fisher to his cousin, Rhode Island senator and governor, John Brown Francis (1791-1864). Joshua wrote the majority of these letters during the Civil War; thus, they reveal information about his views on political, social, and economic issues, including his views on slavery. Although Joshua died in 1873, one of the letters is dated 1889. Folder 5 contains letters, dating from 1847 to 1854, from John Brown Francis to Joshua Francis Fisher. Folder 6 contains letters from Joshua Francis Fisher to his son Henry Middleton Fisher. These letters, dating from 1866 to 1872, were written mostly from Philadelphia to Henry while he was away at school at St. Paul’s in Concord, New Hampshire, and Harvard University. Folders 7 and 8 contain letters to Joshua Francis Fisher while Joshua was on an extended trip to Europe from 1856 to 1858. Folder 7 includes letters from G. Roberts Smith, a close family friend who attended to Fisher’s domestic business and family needs. In addition to providing information concerning Fisher’s children as well as local and national events, Smith reports in detail the status of Fisher’s numerous business accounts and real estate holdings. Included in the letters is a manuscript book, 1856-1858, that Smith kept listing Fisher’s estate matters. Folder 8 includes letters from J. Warner Erwin, a conveyancer who managed Fisher’s numerous real estate holdings. Erwin also managed Fisher’s country estate, Alventhorpe, collected rents, and repaired properties.



Folder 9 contains various household and financial items of Joshua Francis Fisher and his family, dating from 1833-1870. These items include legal and personal documents such as bills, receipts, indentures, as well as documents, letters, and account sheets which detail household business, estate and property expenses, and income. Also included is Joshua’s manuscript ledger, 1833-1838, listing expenses, rental income, and financial transactions. Box 3 contains materials relating to Joshua Francis Fisher and his family. Folders 1 and 2 contain compositions, essays, addresses, papers, and presentations, dating circa 1825-1870, in the hand of Joshua Francis Fisher, many of which appear to be school-related. These compositions mostly focus on Pennsylvania and American history, the Episcopal Church, politics, and education. Some class notes are in French and many items are incomplete. Also, some family history is included. Folder 3 contains two handwritten chapters (circa 1864) of Joshua Francis Fisher’s memoirs. These memoirs were later edited by Fisher’s granddaughter Sophia Cadwalader and published in 1929 as The Recollections of Joshua Francis Fisher. Folder 4 contains miscellaneous items and ephemera relating to Joshua Francis Fisher dating from circa 1825 to circa 1865. Some of these items include a manuscript catalogue, circa 1825, containing a description of Joshua’s numismatic collection entitled, “A Catalogue of American Coins and Medals” and documents awarding Joshua’s membership into several societies, including the American Philosophical Society. Also included are a couple pamphlets regarding elections and the Pennsylvania railroad as well as a broadside entitled “Personal Representation” signed in type by J. Francis Fisher and nine others, circa 1865. Folder 5 contains both incoming and outgoing correspondence of Elizabeth Powel Francis Fisher, Joshua Francis Fisher’s mother, dating from 1839 to 1854. Included are letters to and from her nephew John Brown Francis as well as several other friends and family members. Folders 6, 7, and 8 contain correspondence relating to Elizabeth Middleton Fisher, wife of Joshua Francis Fisher. Folder 6 contains incoming and outgoing family letters (1851-1859). Folder 7 contains letters, dating 1838-1841, from Elizabeth to her husband. Many of these letters, written from South Carolina while on trips visiting her family, reveal much about the Middleton family and life in general amongst the upper classes in the antebellum South. Letters from Elizabeth to her son Henry Middleton Fisher, 1866-1875, are contained in Folder 8. These letters were written to Henry while he attended school at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire and Harvard University. Folders 9, 10, and 11 contain the correspondence of Henry Middleton Fisher. Folder 9 contains Henry’s letters that he sent to several family members at home. These provide much information on the social and educational life of a young man away at school in New England. Letters date from 1861 to 1881; however, the bulk of the letters are from 1861 to 1872, while Henry was away at school. Folders 10 and 11 contain incoming



correspondence from assorted correspondents including his siblings and other relatives, friends, and teachers dating circa 1861 to 1898. Folder 12 contains miscellaneous items relating to Henry Middleton Fisher, dating from circa 1865 to 1894. Included are letters, 1861-1867, from his headmaster at St. Paul’s School addressed to his parents, an 1874 University of Pennsylvania Medical School admission card, an 1866 publication from St. Paul’s School, and Henry and his wife, Mary Elwyn Wharton’s, marriage certificate and other documentation (1894). Lastly, Folder 13 contains miscellaneous items of the family of Joshua Francis Fisher, including an empty envelope addressed to Mrs. Robert P. Kane (Elizabeth Francis Fisher), as well as an undated letter to George Harrison Fisher from his sister “M”. Box 4 contains materials, including correspondence, genealogical information, and estate papers, relating to the Willing and Francis families, most of which date from the late 18th to the early 19th- century. Folder 1 contains genealogical materials, dating from 1780 to 1865, that relate to both families, including Thomas Willing’s family memoirs (1786). Folder 2 contains both incoming and outgoing correspondence relating to Anne Willing Francis that dates from 1751-1806. Included are letters to Anne, who at the time was living in Bristol, from W. Watts, a London merchant, letters between Anne and her nephew, Walter Sterling, as well as a letter from Anne to her lawyer, William Tilghman regarding legal matters. Folders 3 and 4 contain correspondence between Anne Willing Francis and her uncle Thomas Willing and brother, Thomas Willing. Folder 3 contains a series of letters, 1754-1762, from Thomas Willing, Anne’s uncle who was living in Bristol. Folder 4 contains letters, 1750-1754, from Anne Willing Francis while she was living in Bristol and later Philadelphia to her brother, Thomas Willing. Folder 5 contains letters from Anne Willing Francis in Philadelphia to her husband, Tench Francis, Jr. in London dating from 1767 to 1768. Discussions concern family and business matters as well as the birth of their fourth son. Folder 6 contains letters from Anne Willing Francis to her daughter Sophia Francis Harrison, circa 1790, including a “Letter of Advice” written on the occasion of Sophia’s marriage to George Harrison. One letter, addressed to all of Anne’s children and meant to be read upon her death, concerns Anne’s philosophy of life, admonitions and final wishes. Folders 7 and 8 contain correspondence relating to Tench Francis, Jr. Folder 7 contains letters from Tench to his mother, Elizabeth (Turbutt) Francis in Wilmington (1780), and a letter to his son, Thomas (Tubby) Willing Francis (1767). Folder 8 contains incoming correspondence, dating from 1755 to 1769, including a lengthy and detailed letter from his father Tench Francis, Sr. (1755) describing English maritime victories over the French, English military successes in New England, and the destructive earthquake in Lisbon.



Folder 9 contains incoming correspondence relating to Tench Francis, Sr. and his wife, dating from 1762 to 1769, and includes letters from the Chambers family in London as well as letters from Richa (Rebecca) Franks, daughter of Jacob Franks, the colonial New York Jewish-American merchant. Folder 10 contains correspondence and estate papers, 1795-1845, relating to Charles Francis. Correspondence includes letters between Charles and his mother Anne Willing Francis while he was in Calcutta (1799-1807). Also included is a detailed inventory (1845) of his estate completed shortly after his death. Folder 11 contains estate papers relating to Tench Francis, Jr. and his family dating from circa 1806 to 1837. Included are several items that relate to the legal dispute over property between Tench and Richard Penn (circa 1806- 1833). Folder 12 contains cookery recipes and household advice in the hand of Anne Willing Francis and Elizabeth Powel (1776-1813). Folder 13 contains miscellaneous letters, fragments, and ephemera relating to the Willing and Francis families dating from 1764 to 1866. Folders 14 and 15 contain items mostly unrelated to the Willing and Francis families. Folder 14 contains a series of letters, dating 1835-1836, from Levett Harris in Paris to John Forsyth, Secretary of State from 1834-1841 regarding relations with France. Folder 15 contains miscellaneous items. Of note is a letter from Joseph Turner (1701–1783), merchant and politician, and, presumably, James Hamilton (1710-1783) the Philadelphia lawyer and politician, as well as an undated copy of letter from an officer at Philadelphia to his correspondent in London, entitled "Particulars of the Mischianza exhibited in America at the departure of Gen. Howe. Philadelphia May 23, 1778." Also included in the folder is a typescript biography of Capt. Jeremiah Clarke, who served as governor of Rhode Island during the mid 17th-century. Box 5 contains materials relating to the Drinker family, in particular, the family of James Blathwaite and Mary Frances Drinker. Some materials, including literary manuscripts, relate to the Wharton family. Folder 1 contains numerous manuscripts, typescripts, and printed copies from Lippincott’s Magazine of literary works by Phoebe Lyde, most likely a pseudonym used by Frances B. Wharton. These items date from 1902 to 1904. Folder 2 contains an 80-page typescript of “Francois Villon: A romantic drama in four acts with songs” (1894) co-written by Thomas Wharton and Owen Wister. The manuscript contains some handwritten edits. Folder 3 contains letters from Mary Frances Drinker to James Blathwaite Drinker. Mary wrote these letters to her husband during her stay with Cecilia Beaux at Green Alley, Gloucester, Massachusetts. The letters contain numerous descriptions of the noted artist.



Folders 4, 5 and 6 contain items relating to Sandwith Drinker, son of James and Mary Drinker. Folder 4 contains numerous letters from Sandwith Drinker to his mother. Most of the letters, dating from 1936 to 1942, were written while Sandwith was attending Kent School in Kent, Connecticut. Some are also from the period while he attended Yale University. Folder 5 contains letters dating from 1937 to 1942 from Sandwith to various members of his family. Folder 6 contains a few miscellaneous items dating from circa 1930 to 1945. Folder 7 contains letters from Polly Drinker to various members of her family, 1956. Most of the letters are addressed to her mother, Mary Frances. Folders 8 and 9 contain items related to James B. Drinker and Mary Frances Drinker. Folder 8 contains incoming correspondence of James B. and Mary Frances Drinker. Dating from 1918 to 1966, many of these letters concern their son Sandwith, specifically his death while serving in World War II. Folder 9 contains numerous miscellaneous letters, clippings, and estate papers dating from 1917 to 1971. Folder 9 contains a large black and white photograph of the family of Henry Sturgis Drinker taken in 1929 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Henry Sturgis Drinker and his wife Ernesta Beaux Drinker. Also included is a sketch labeling who’s who in the photograph with birth and death dates for several family members. Folder 10 contains clippings and a photograph relating to Cecilia Beaux. Most of the clippings, dating from 1906 to 1908, concern exhibitions. Folder 11 contains newspaper clippings circa 1952 with Drinker and Wharton genealogy information. Folder 12 contains miscellaneous printed items and ephemera dating from circa 1809 to 1925. Items include two newspapers, the Oct. 31, 1864 issue of Le Courrier des Etats-Unis the New York-based newspaper for French Americans and the June 15, 1888 issue of Berliner Tageblatt (Berlin) covering the death of Kaiser Frederick III.

Box 6 contains correspondence and photographs relating to Francis Brinley Wharton. The bulk of correspondence, dating from 1941 to 1956, includes incoming letters from various friends and family. Many of these letters are from those serving in World War II. Numerous postcards are also included. Folders 1 through 4 contain incoming correspondence from various senders. Folder 1 contains several undated letters. Folder 2 contains letters from 1941 to 1944. Folder 3 contains incoming letters from 1945, and Folder 4 contains letters dating from 1946 to 1956. Folders 5 through 10 contain correspondence from several family members; mainly the family of James B. and Mary Frances Drinker. Folder 5 contains letters, dating from 1944 to 1951, from Mary Frances Drinker.



Folders 6 and 7 contain correspondence between Frances B. Wharton and her nephew, 1941 to 1945. Folder 6 contains letters, 1941 to 1944, from Sandwith Drinker. The four letters contained in Folder 7 are from Frances Wharton to Sandwith. Written at the time of Sandwith’s death in March 1945, the letters were deemed undeliverable and returned. Folder 8 contains letters from James Drinker, son of James B. and Mary Frances Drinker dating 1945 to 1951. Many letters were written during James’ service in the Korean War. Folder 9 contains letters dating 1947 from Henry M. Drinker, son of James B. and Mary Frances Drinker. Folder 10 contains letters dating from 1945 to 1956 from Emily W. Nell, niece of Frances B. Wharton, another relation who served in the U.S. military. Folders 11 and 12 contain correspondence from friends. Folder 11 contains letters from Forsythe Sherfesse dating 1944 to 1954. Folder 12 contains letters from C.B. Russell in Essex County, England, 1941 to 1944. Folder 13 contains miscellaneous photographs. Some are labeled. Folder 14 contains miscellaneous letters, notes, and ephemera dating circa 1904 to 1956 relating to Frances B. Wharton. Box 7 contains two multi-paged undated printed deeds of partition for the Henry Drinker estate originally drafted in 1843. Boxes 8 through 17 contain 19th-century daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and silhouettes of various members of the Francis, Harrison and Fisher families. The daguerreotypes are possibly of Joshua Francis Fisher and his family. 10 items are not labeled. Also included is an encased medal belonging to Henry Middleton Fisher. Box 8 contains an encased medal belonging to Henry Middleton Fisher (1869). Box 9 contains two unidentified encased daguerreotypes. Box 10 contains an unidentified encased daguerreotype. Box 11 contains one framed portrait and one profile/silhouette. Both are unidentified. Box 12 contains a copy of a framed portrait of Rev. John Francis as well as profile/ silhouette of John Francis. The latter is labeled, “John Francis, father of J.B. and son of Tench.” Box 13 contains two unidentified framed portraits. Box 14 contains a framed portrait and profile/silhouette of Charles Francis.



Box 15 contains a portrait/ silhouette of George Harrison as well as an unidentified framed miniature of Mrs. H.H. Fisher (?) by J. Hy. Brown (1858). Box 16 contains two profile/silhouettes. One is of John Francis, “son of Tench and Anne” and the other is of Tench Francis, Jr.

In Box 17 are two unidentified encased daguerreotypes.

Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker collection of miscellaneous ... · Joshua Francis Fisher (1807-1873),...

Documents

Transcript of Dr. and Mrs. Henry Drinker collection of miscellaneous ... · Joshua Francis Fisher (1807-1873),...